Colorado cool stuff: Arcticreel, Zaca patch, Aclim-mate & New Normal

By Eric Peterson

Published: 2011.04.01 09:01 AM

DENVER TENTS ARCTICREEL

Founded in 1890, Denver Tent is one of the oldest operating companies in the state, but it's pretty much business as usual for two centuries running. "The tents haven't seen huge changes," General Manager Jeff Greene says. "They're an heirloom product that gets passed down from generation to generation. That's a challenge when it comes to sales."Since 1940, the company also has made the Arcticreel, a bag made from special Scottish canvas that cools a fisherman's catch via evaporation. Lined with washable plastic, the longstanding creel enjoyed a sales bump beginning in 2009 thanks to retro-looking nostalgia. "People started buying them as laptop bags," Greene says. "I got a kick out of that. What's old is new." $54 (small) to $58 (large) retail.

David Wann says "The New Normal" fits nicely as the third installment in a trilogy of his books starting with "Affluenza" and continuing with "Simple Prosperity: Finding Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle." Wann's core message: "Unlimited growth on a finite planet ain't gonna work."The New Normal outlines a path to a new economy based on social connections and natural restoration over profits. "The real economy is beneath the bottom line - it's about grain, it's about topsoil, it's about water," he says, adding that he's optimistic for the future. "It's a brilliant new era that can be born if we reach a cultural consensus." $14.99 retail.

Written by Dave Wann, Golden (published by St. Martin's Press, New York), www.davewann.com . Available at numerous bookstores throughout Colorado.

ZACA RECOVERY PATCH

After working in the beauty business in the northeast, brothers James and Mark Aleks relocated to Colorado in 2005 looking to launch a product. Turning their focus to the nutritional-supplement industry, the two came up with an idea for something different."Everybody has a powder, everybody has a pill, everybody has a drink," James says. "Who has a patch?" And like that, Zaca was born in 2008. Users simply apply the topical patch before a party, workout or trip for help beating the mental and physical aches, pains and fatigue that are sure to follow. James touts prickly pear as the patch's "key ingredient," a great boost to the immune system, as well as liver-detoxifying milk thistle. $5.99 to $7.99 for a two-patch package retail.

Growing up in Crested Butte, Dr. Roanne Rouse Houck saw a lot of ski vacationers cutting their trips short because of altitude sickness. The naturopathic doctor found herself reading an article in 5280 in 2002 that tipped her off that the Colorado ski industry lost $200 million due to altitude sickness, leading her to develop Acli-Mate. Available in two flavors - Elevation Orange and Mountain Grape - the low-calorie sports drink features a proprietary blend of herbs that help combat altitude sickness and improve physical performance at high elevation."It supports the adrenal glands and helps get more oxygen through the blood to the muscles," says Marketing Manager Rob Strickland. "It strengthens the walls of your red blood cells." About $1 per pack or $25.99 for a 30-serving tub retail.

Made by Acli-Mate Formulations LLC, Gunnison, (866) 641-5361, www.acli-mate.com . Also available at Whole Foods; a store locator is on the website.{pagebreak:Page 1}

Denver-based writer Eric Peterson is the author of Frommer's Colorado, Frommer's Montana & Wyoming, Frommer's Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks and the Ramble series of guidebooks, featuring first-person travelogues covering everything from atomic landmarks in New Mexico to celebrity gone wrong in Hollywood. Peterson has also recently written about backpacking in Yosemite, cross-country skiing in Yellowstone and downhill skiing in Colorado for such publications as Denver's Westword and The New York Daily News. He can be reached at Eptcb126@msn.com